SINGAPORE, 20 November 2018: Travel agencies are battling to rediscover relevance, but the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) are fighting in their corner.
STB is backing what it calls a Travel Talent Transformation & Management Programme to improve HR practices and attract and retain workers in a business sector that is fighting for air as travellers forsake traditional travel firms and manage their own bookings.
Singapore’s travel agency association, NATAS, operates a resource centre that supports business transformation projects that create new business models for ailing travel companies backed and partly funded by the STB.
STB director for travel agents and tourist guides Ong Ling Lee said: “STB launched the Travel Agent Roadmap two years ago to help travel agents transform their businesses and become more agile and resilient in responding to challenges.
“As we enter the third year of the Roadmap, we are refining the different types of support for travel agents to equip them with the relevant tools and resources that they might need to tap growth opportunities. We are confident that the initiatives launched today, from the self-help resources to the Through-Train Programmes, will help our travel agents become true designers of travel experiences”
Since the launch of the Roadmap in August 2016, more than 90 projects, ranging from technology adoption to business remodelling, have received support from STB’s Business Improvement Fund.
These projects have helped travel agents improve productivity and the new slew of initiatives announced, Monday, will continue to help travel agents in the battle to find relevance with travel consumers.
STB will be launching version 2.0 of the Business Transformation Through-Train programme in the second quarter of 2019, following a successful pilot run this year.
The programme helps travel agents source new business models, identify gaps and opportunities, and implement business shifts to remain competitive.
Seven travel agents completed the first phase of the programme. One participant, Pegasus Travel Management, plans to create a travel social space with its mobile application String, where travellers can share travel content and be inspired to create their own itineraries.
Version 2.0 of the programme takes into consideration feedback from the first phase and will support participants by providing additional consultation sessions and education. An open call to the industry for the second phase of the programme will be made in the first quarter of 2019.
STB will organise regular talks that cover emerging technologies, conduct a solution call-out to identify relevant technology vendors for travel agents and develop a do-it-yourself guide to assist travel agents in selecting suitable technology solutions that will meet their business needs.
NATAS is already looking at the potential of developing an offline-to-online (O2O) portal to support travel agents who are moving into the online domain. The portal will feature themed travel fairs throughout the year, and will serve as a plug-and-play solution for travel agents who currently do not have an online presence.
STB and NATAS also announced the Travel Talent Transformation & Management Programme, which identifies and bridges gaps in HR practices. Travel agents will be able to diagnose their HR gaps through one-on-one sessions with consultants, learn how to resolve gaps through masterclasses and site visits to firms with successful HR practices, and be guided through the solution implementation.
For job-seekers, NATAS will work with Workforce Singapore(WSG) to list available jobs in the travel agent industry on the MyCareersFuture job portal.
STB and NATAS will embark on a series of marketing activities next year, focusing on changing the perception of the industry as a viable career option for job-seekers and showcasing the interesting.
In a move that will enhance the vibrancy of the local tour landscape, a group of tour operators have decided to come together to form a Tour Operators Alliance, STB announced.
The founding team includes Monster Day Tours, Let’s Go Tour Singapore, Singapore Sidecars, Ruby Dot Trails, and Tribe. The Alliance will enable tour operators to come together to further their collective interests, shape their capabilities as a group, share resources, and work with inbound travel agents for partnerships.
